International Day of Peace: The Right to Peace

NAFSA Observes International Day of Peace

The International Day of Peace is recognized each year on September 21. The United Nations (UN) General Assembly declared this day as one devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace within and among all nations and peoples. The international education community and NAFSA work to advance the policies and practices that ensure a more interconnected and peaceful world. Together, we support the opportunities that are created by an inclusive and peaceful society.

The 2018 Day of Peace theme celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948. This document has been translated in more than 500 languages and it was the first declaration about the rights and freedoms of the individual to be adopted by the United Nations.

The Importance of Conflict Resolution

NAFSA is pleased to share an exclusive interview with Brandon Hamber, PhD, a noted expert in global conflict resolution. Professor Hamber is the John Hume and Thomas P. O’Neill chair in peace at Ulster University based at the International Conflict Research Institute. This NAFSA Worldview interview was conducted by Simon Adams, PhD, a NAFSA board member and the executive director for the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect.

Professor Hamber has consulted with a range of community groups, policy initiatives, and government bodies in Northern Ireland and South Africa, and participated in various peace and reconciliation initiatives in the Basque Country, Bosnia, Liberia, Mozambique, and Sierra Leone, among others.

Sustainable Development is Essential

In 2015, the UN member states adopted 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) because the organization believes that is it is not possible to build a more peaceful world without taking steps to achieve social and economic development for all people and to protect human rights. The goals address the global challenges we face, including poverty, hunger, health, education, climate change, gender equality, water, sanitation, energy, environment, and social justice.

Sustainable Development Goal 16: “Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions” promotes peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

NAFSA is a Signatory of the Declaration on University Engagement

Under a joint initiative of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, leaders from public and private universities are invited to renew their institution's commitment to global engagement by signing the Declaration on University Global Engagement. The declaration recognizes that the SDGs are globally shared objectives that can only be achieved through international cooperation and multi-stakeholder engagement.

As an association dedicated to a more welcoming United States, NAFSA supports this initiative for recognizing the importance of globally engaged institutions.